It’s that time of year again! Spring is here and our very own Another Way is in full planning mode organizing its Annual Charity Golf Tournament! We are so proud of Another Way and the impact they make in the lives of our Consumers. I sat down with Andrea Gonzales, Another Way Coordinator to get caught up on Another Way and the cool things they have in store for golfers this year at the tourney.

Amelia Maldonado (AM): Another Way is an awesome and unique organization. You guys are really doing important work. For our readers that may not know much about Another Way, give us the scoop!  

Andrea Gonzalez (AG): Thank you. Well, Another Way is a volunteer-driven project of Inland Regional Center (IRC). We operate with one paid full-time staff member, 35 advisory members, and more than 100 volunteers! It was founded in 1986 by service coordinators to help IRC’s most vulnerable consumers during times of financial hardship. Another Way assists with food, clothing, rent, utilities, burials, dental work, medications, mobility equipment, and when appropriate household items such as beds and appliances.

Every Wednesday, members of Another Way’s Advisory Committee review requests from service coordinators on behalf of their Consumers. During the meetings, the committee will discuss the Consumer’s financial situation, ability to maintain payments after receiving assistance, and their understanding of resources that may be available. Another Way provides, on average, $10,000- $12,000 a month in aid. That works out to helping roughly 1,700 children and adults each year.

AM: Wow! When you look at the assistance on a yearly level we are looking upwards of $150,000. And when you add in the Another Way holiday events you are really providing about $200,000 in assistance annually!  Can you talk about the Golf Tournament and your other funding sources?

AG: Sure! First, I’d like to share a little about funding for non-profits in the Inland Empire. It is difficult out here. For every $102 in grant funding a nonprofit in Los Angeles County receives, an Inland Empire non-profit receives only $16. It may also surprise people to know that Another Way is considered a medium-size nonprofit; 67% of nonprofits in this region have revenues under $25,000; Another Way is projecting a revenue of $320,000 for Fiscal Year 17/18. So far, we are on track to achieve this! Another Way has a comprehensive fundraising program that includes grants, events, individual and corporate donations. Approximately 70% of our funding for the year comes from grants and events. The remaining 30% is derived from individual and corporate donations. Events, the Golf Tournament, in particular, are a huge source of revenue for us— approximately $70,000 in net proceeds each year. We are hoping to push this to $90,000 this year with it being our 20^th anniversary, a milestone we are proud of! The generosity we experience during tournament season is amazing and greatly appreciated.

AM: For the golfers out there, how is the Tournament structured?

AG: The tournament is a shot-gun start which means all groups of players tee off simultaneously from different holes. Each hole on a course will be the tee off hole for each foursome and all groups start play at the same time. There is a gentle rivalry among our sponsors to start off on hole 1 and hole 18. For some reason, unknown to non-golfers like myself, these start off points are magical and not just because the drinks are stationed there! Just to make things more interesting, this year we have two courses running simultaneously to host more than 200 golfers. We book courses that can accommodate our growing group of supporters!

AM: I am a huge fan of the tournament! I have my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to play again this year, especially since it’s the tournament’s 20^th anniversary! I hear you have a special venue and some awesome perks this year. Tell us about that.  

AG: We decided to return to La Quinta to host our 20^th anniversary tournament. It’s a place that is very special to our golfers, with courses designed by Pete Dye. Dye-designed courses have hosted PGA Championships! There are two at La Quinta: Jack Nicklaus and the Stadium.

Our top sponsors are offered a Stay and Play Package at these two prestigious courses. There is also plenty for non-golfers. The quintessential Californian resort boasts a spa, tennis courts, restaurants, shopping and 41 pools! The resort has Spanish-style casitas, and for those who live large, haciendas! Plus, the resort abounds in old Hollywood glamour and tales.

The night before the tournament we will host a mixer. It’s a tradition our golfers look forward to year after year. This year we will have a gorgeous outdoor setting next to a waterfall, and beneath a majestic tree. There’s music, dancing, food, drinks, photos, games, raffles, etc. It’s the time when everyone meets, and we get to thank our sponsors and supporters. We are hoping to have a performance by salsa dancers while Spanish guitarists to take the evening to the next level.

The Tee Prize is a Bushnell “Rangefinder Golf Watch” that has 35,000 courses built into it. It can track distance, speed and all those details near and dear to the heart of a golfer. Obtaining this watch for each golfer took lots of negotiating, but it was worth it.  Golfers will also be treated to snacks, drinks, breakfast, cocktail hour at the Clubhouse and a Gourmet Lunch Banquet immediately following the tournament.

And last but not least, Dodger Legend Steve Garvey will be present at our Lunch Awards Banquet ready to answer questions from the baseball fans in the crowd. He is also going to share his story about overcoming adversity and why he chooses to work with charities.

AM: Nice! Well after reading all this, people will certainly want to join Another Way for the Tournament on June 9. I know I do! How can people register?  

AG: There are three ways to register for the tournament: email, online, or good old-fashioned snail mail:

Inland Regional Center

Attn: Andrea Gonzales, Another way Coordinator

1365 South Waterman Avenue

San Bernardino, CA 92408

AM: Thank you so much for your time, Andrea! As we close, is there anything else you’d like to add?

AG: Thank you. And yes! There is no way we could help our Consumers without the support of our sponsors and donors. Another Way would like to thank all of you who give from the heart each month. It’s a challenge to keep the funding coming in but it’s amazing to know there are so many of you out there who recognize the good that comes out of helping our Consumers and that believe in what we are doing.

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Community Engagement

Inland Regional Center's Community Engagement Unit can be reached at [email protected]